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Fire Escapes;

No. 235,252. Patented Dec. 7,1880.

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ATTORNEYS.

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Fire Escapes. No. 235,252. Patented Dec. 7,1880.

Illlllllll 37/1! a ll f? BY 44 2 r ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEIQE.

EDUARD KAMIN AND HEINRICH EGBERTS, OF BREMEN, GERMANY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 235,252, datedDecember '7, 1880.

Application filed September 22, 1880.

T0 all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDUARD KAMIN and HEINRICH EGBERTS, of Bremen,Germany, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improvedfire-escape, which is simple and compact in construction, safe andreliable in use, and permits of several persons being successivelylowered therewith.

Our invention consists of a metal frame with hooks for attaching it, andcontaining a roller having the life-rope attached thereto, to whichroller is attached a ratchetwheel engaging with a spring-pawl attachedto an independent wheel provided with laterally-proj ectin g studsengaging with lugs at the top and bottom of the shaft, having asemicircular cog-wheel mounted on the upper end, the said cog-wheelengaging with a smaller cog-wheel attached to a shaft provided with acentrifugal balance and a spiral balance-spring, which balance isalternately rotated in opposite directions as the lateral studs of thewheel strike the lugs of the shaft, whereby the rapid unwinding of thelife-rope is avoided.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation ofour improved fireescape on the line m 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is aplan viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same on theline y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the inner side of theindependent wheel, to which the pawl and its spring are attached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A belt or brace, A, of suitable strength to support a person, isattached to one end of a rope, B, the other end of said rope beingattached to a roller, 0, provided with end disks, D D, and rigidlyattached to a shaft, E, provided with a hand-wheel, F, or crank, andjournaled in one of the side plates, Gr, of the frame of the apparatus,and in a crutch, H, attached to the other side plate, G. Aratchet-wheel, I, is rigidly attached to the outer side of the disk D ofthe roller 0, and a pawl, J, acted upon by a spring, K, both attached toa wheel, L, loosely mounted on the shaft E, engages with thisratchet-wheel. The teeth of the ratchet-wheel are to be arranged in sucha (N0 model.)

manner that the loose wheel rotates with the roller 0 when the rope A isunwound, but remains stationary when the rope is wound upon the roller.

The loose wheel L is provided on the outer surface with a series oflaterally-projecting studs, M M, beveled on one side, which studsalternately strike the top and bottom rightangled lugs N N of a shaft,0, journaled in arms projecting from the inner surface of the sideplate, G, this shaft passing through the recess of the clutch H, asshownin Figs. 1 and 4.

A wheel, 1?, half the periphery of which is provided with cogs, ismounted on the upper end of the shaft 0, and its cogs engage with thoseof a smaller wheel, Q, mounted on a shaft, It, held by an arm, S, or insome other suitable manner. The shaftRis provided with a transverse baror rod, T, having balls T or other weights at the ends, thusformingasubstitute for a fly-wheel, which, however, may replace thetransverse rod. A spiral spring, U, is attached to the shaft R and to abutton, V, on the arm S, thus forming a spring-balance with thetransverse rod T.

The wheel P is provided with two studs, W W, which prevent a completerotation of the same. The plates G and G are provided with some suitablehooks X X, for attaching the apparatus to a window-frame, balcony, &c.The said plates are connected by a series of transverse rods, Y Y, andalso have a roller, Z, over which the life-rope B passes, journaledtherein.

The operation is as follows: The person that desires to be loweredfirmly secures the belt to his body after having attached the apparatusto some rigid object. As soon as the weight of the person begins to actupon the rope B the roller 0 will be rotated in the direction of thearrow a; but if the roller 0 rotates in this direction the teeth of thespur-wheel I will catch on the pawl J, thus causing the loose wheel Lalso to rotate in the direction of the arrow at. The studs M will thenalternately strike against the lugs N and N of the shaft 0, and as theselugs are at right angles to each other the stud striking the lug N willrotate the shaft 0 and wheel P in the direction of the arrow b butanother stud immediately strikes the lug N and rotates shaft in theopposite direction, and in this manner the shaft and wheel P and thebalance-rod '1 are continually thrown to and fro. The spring U and thestuds M, striking against the lug, afl'ord sufficient resistance toprevent the rope from uncoiling too rapidly, for as the direction ofthemovement oi'the above-named parts is reversed every instant a. certainspeed only can be attained. The studs or pins W Won the wheel P preventthe latter from being completely rotated, and thus cause the shaft 0 topresent a lug, N or N to each stud M as it passes by. If another personis to he lowered the rope is wound upon the drum by means of thehand-wheel or crank F, and the above opera tion is repeated. l Theapparatus is absolutely safe and does l not act as a brake in case themovement is too rapid, but acts as a check from the very be ginning, thechecking force being required to reverse the movement of the wheel 1,shut't O, and the spring-balance rod 'l.

Having thus described our invention, what I we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In a fire-escape, the combination,with the roller 0, of the wheel L, provided with studs M, of the shaft0, having lugs N N of the wheel P, and the spring-balance bar or wheel'1, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose setforth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the roller 0, of the ratchetwheel I, the springpawl J, the wheel L, provided with studs M M. theshaft 0, having lugs N and N, the wheel P, and the spring-balance rod orwheel '1, substantially as herein shown and described, and for thepurpose set forth.

3. In a tire-escape, the combination, with the partially-cogged wheel I,of the pins W, the cog-wheel Q, the shaft R, the spring U, thetransverse rod T, and the weights T, substantiully as herein shown anddescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

EDUARD KAMIN. HEINRICH EGBERTS.

Witnesses GEO. U IIRLAUD, Geo. W. SELLERS.

